Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! Grand Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 1 (2002) dark horse
Nobuyuki Jokou
じょうこう のぶゆき
Jokou Nobuyuki
Pen Names:
N. Jokou（Abbreviated pen name used for early works）
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1978-04-12 （Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan）
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Residence History
- Setagaya, Tokyo (birth–before university) → Waseda, Tokyo (university years) → Yokohama (period of creative activity)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, Essayist
- Active Years
- 2002-
- Influenced By
- Haruki Murakami, Hiromi Kawakami
- Influenced
- Young writer T. Yamazaki, Short story writer Y. Sato
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waseda University | Faculty of Letters | Department of Japanese Literature | BA | 1997-2001 | Japan |
Waseda University
Faculty of Letters
/ Department of Japanese Literature
Degree:
BA
Period:
1997-2001
Year of Graduation:
2001
Country:
Japan
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Akutagawa Prize | That Kūtai Is XX | — | Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee | winner |
| 2004 | Bungakukai Newcomer Award | Garden of Sunlight | — | Bungakukai | winner |
Akutagawa Prize
2015
Work:
That Kūtai Is XX
Organization:
Akutagawa Prize Selection Committee
Result:
winner
Bungakukai Newcomer Award
2004
Work:
Garden of Sunlight
Organization:
Bungakukai
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
That Kūtai Is XX
2014 Literary fiction (ensemble novel) 236 pagesSet in a suburban town, the novel follows several characters whose perspectives intersect around memory and identity. Everyday gaps, absence, and wry metaphors bind the narrative together.
MemoryCity and suburbsIdentityFamily absence
Adaptations
- [Film] That Kūtai Is XX / 佐藤健一 (2017)
Translations
- English translation: That Kūtai Is XX (trans. Emma Harris)
Garden of Sunlight
2003 Short story collection 180 pagesA collection of short stories that capture fragments of daily life, notable for quiet humor and delicate emotional depiction.
Everyday lifeLonelinessSubtle relationships
Bibliography
- Garden of Sunlight (2003)
- Song of the Lost (2006)
- That Kūtai Is XX (2014)
- Dawn Fragments (2019)
Adaptations
- That Kūtai Is XX (film, 2017)
Translations of Works
- That Kūtai Is XX — English translation (Emma Harris, 2016)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Poetic and introspective proseFrequent metaphors with a light rhythmic toneEnsemble depiction switching between multiple perspectives
- Recurring Motifs
- Worn furnitureDawn lightFragmented memory
Legacy
A writer recognized for delicate psychological portrayals and depictions of urban peripheries in contemporary Japanese literature. The Akutagawa Prize-winning work helped broaden his recognition domestically and internationally through adaptations and translations.
Academic Societies
- Japanese Society for Contemporary Literature
Archives
- Personal papers: Yokohama City Library Modern Literature Archives (deposited)
In Popular Culture
- The film adaptation of 'That Kūtai Is XX' gained support among younger audiences and boosted local tourism.
Quotes
-
Memory is always like a cracked mirror, showing a different face depending on the angle you look.
Source: That Kūtai Is XX (2014) (2014)
Trivia
- During university he belonged to a theater circle and wrote scripts.
- His favorite stationery is a blue fountain pen.